I guess I'm lucky. Even with auto-immune diseases they don't burn my skin. :)

/tricia

Totally agree that GLOVES are the way to go. I can cut up jalapenos with no negative effects to hands, BUT had a minor problem once making salsa to can. I finely minced peppers and THOUGHT I had THOROUGHLY washed hands?? Later on, put hands to mouth and felt the BURN!! SOOOO glad I didn't discover this until taking out CONTACTS!! For some reason, seem to recall something about rubbing alcohol taking the oils off hands... but DON'T quote me on that!?!

I am not particularly bothered by jalapenos, but I had a large crop of habaneros this year, which I roasted over mesquite charcoal before making into chili sauce. I used tongs to handle them and put them through the food mill to remove the skins and seeds after they had been cooked and cooled, but when I rinsed out the food mill, I almost choked on the fumes. Next time I will wear a mask and snorkel when I rinse the pan. I keep a mask and snorkel in the kitchen for when I chop onions.

Lars

I buy the nitrile, no powder, non latex exam gloves in bulk at Costco and always have them on hand. Peppers, preparing a chicken to cook, some gardening chores, painting....am never without a supply. I'm not particularly vain about my hands, but the gloves have saved me from some stains I know would take a few days to completely resolve, i.e. packaging large quantities of blackberries.

Hot peppers are the husbands job! Well, not so often. Rubs his eyes, takes a pee. So i usually do it. (hours of pain is not pleasant to hear)
I use a silpat and use the corner, folded up and over, to hold, cut the tip off and slice in half, remove seeds...
somehow i never make contact.
I bought a silpat that is way too small for anything i cook, by mistake, so it is handy for other things like opening jars etc. Tiny 8x8 square.
haha, i use swim goggles for cutting onions. One i can handle, but massive amounts for caramelizing i need protection.

Publickman, I have a fun image of you in the kitchen with a snorkel. Thanks!

Kathleen

Kathleen, I have that image too, and I always smile when I think of Lars anyway, he's such a handsome man...

I have some onion goggles that Woodie bought for me, both my girls want them, LOL, but I told them to get their own.

I wear gloves when chopping hot peppers, but Elery just chops them up, eating pieces as he goes. They just don't seem to bother him, or maybe he's used to the pain.

All utensils used go into the dishwasher, I won't even wash them.

In a pinch I've slipped plastic bags onto my hands and used them to handle peppers.

I don't wear gloves for anything else, though, so peeling beets or packaging sweet cherries leaves me with nails that look dirty for days. I ought to know better, but I guess it doesn't matter that much to me or I'd wear 'em, I always have some.

Annie

I'm glad someone mentioned contacts. If you are not wearing gloves, take your contacts out BEFORE you start chopping hot peppers, even if its going to be a while before you plan on taking out your contacts.

I mostly wear disposable gloves now to chop hot peppers. I have a separate cutting board for onions, garlic and hot peppers too.

I've used Goop hand cleaner in the past with good results, but now if I get pepper juice on my fingers I rub butter into them, then a squirt of liquid hand or dish soap before rinsing in warm water. The butter cuts the capsaicin and the soap carries it away. I keep butter in an old covered sugar bowl on the counter and soap in a pump bottle on the sink so both are easy to get to. Depending on the heat of the peppers I may have to 'rinse and repeat'.

Years ago I read a novel and about the only thing I remember is that if you touch your eyes after chopping hot peppers, pull out a hair from your head and place in the affected eye.
I had to try that once and it did work!
I also heard the same tip a year ago from a Hispanic waiter.....we were eating hot peppers.

I don't like wearing gloves so If I'm just chopping one or two peppers, I usually minimize it by putting on one glove. Then I only touch the peppers and cutting board with my gloved left hand. My right (knife) hand doesn't need to be gloved.

If there are more than a few peppers to prepare, I'd probably glove both hands because at some point I'd end up getting the right hand peppered - but for a couple I'm pretty good about remembering to keep my right hand uncontaminated.